The Diplomat
The State Secretary for the EU, Juan González-Barba, on Friday confirmed Spain’s support for the European Union’s enlargement process towards the Western Balkans.
González-Barba took part in the informal meeting of the General Affairs Council of the European Union in Brdo (Slovenia), which was attended not only by the heads of European Affairs of the EU, but also by the Balkan countries that are not members of the EU club.
The Secretary of State endorsed the main goals of the Slovenian EU Presidency, which include making Europe more prepared for future crises. “We share the priorities for achieving a Europe that is more prepared for future crises,” he said, according to a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
González-Barba also pointed out that “providing a coordinated response to future crises should become a reflex action for the EU, whether they are health pandemics, economic crises, climate events or cyber-attacks”.
Noting that “in the past the Union has been guilty of acting reactively”, he said: “Our duty is to be pro-active and prepare at European level by developing the Health Union and the Green Pact, completing the Economic and Monetary Union, as well as strengthening our cyber-security capabilities”.
